Mother and baby homes inquiry terms ‘fail to reference justice or redress’

Natural mothers have hit out at the terms of the mother and baby home inquiry for failing to reference justice or redress for those affected.

The criticisms come in advance of the second debate on the issue to be held in the Dáil this evening. The Government is under mounting pressure to include Magdalene Laundries, private adoption agencies and a myriad of related institutions in the inquiry.

In a statement, the Irish First Mothers Group said the failure to mention justice or redress meant the Commission “fails the standard for such inquiries as identified in a 2014 UN human rights review which found that Irish inquiries and redress schemes failed to meet the UN standard for ‘thorough and effective investigations’”.